


Thorns

by ElleLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Development, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28576599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleLight/pseuds/ElleLight
Summary: Voldemort seemed to have luck on his side as he received the help of a very interesting character. Yet, he overestimated his luck once again and found himself face to face with someone from his past.After getting rid of Dumbledore, Voldemort seemed to be pleased by Severus Snape's deeds. However, Snape's action caused him to get the attention of a very dangerous creature who'd decided to join Voldemort.Meanwhile, Muggles, elves, and wizards are getting ready for the war. There are a few reasons for happiness, but as long as they stay united, there could still be found light even in the darkest places.





	1. Back to the square one

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the HP universe and its characters. The credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

Back to square one

It was almost the end of May and yet still young, the spring started to get nutty. Carefree and innocent, she'd spilled drops of color all over the silky grass and, as if it hadn't been enough, she tickled the layer of the water with her frisky fingers. Only the mountains stood tall and mighty like two sentinels, too serious and cold for the display of life and energy that filled the air.

Had it not been for the stone citadel, just opposite one of the mountains, none would have guessed that someone had ever gone as far as the eastern bank of the lake. Sheltered by water and guarded by its looming height, the citadel looked as imposing as the bulky giant on whose shoulders it had been built.

It was early in the morning and the sun hadn't shown its face yet. If one were to follow the path that led up to the top of the mountain, they would come to face the massive wooden door of the citadel. It would have taken them a long time to get there and they would have been exhausted, but their journey would have finally come to an end only to start again when climbing the flight of stairs that went up to the last floor. It had a lot of floors, apart from the underground ones, where no visitor was allowed to go. In fact, there were few that knew where the entrance was.

This entrance would permit access to another flight of stairs. With every step, one would go closer to hell and farther from the light of day. Only by magic could the prisoners taste some of the joy that came from the sun on their face and fresh air in their lungs, innocent pleasures they hadn't felt for decades. To be specific - for five decades.

This place was Nurmengard Castle and the date was May 21st, 1997. The current prisoners of the citadel were Grindelwald's followers. But Grindelwald himself wasn't there. The top-most cell was reserved for him. His cell had a narrow window – a security measure to prevent someone from entering or escaping the place - and almost no furniture, except for a hard bed and a table.

Nurmengard Castle had also been the headquarters of OZD (Osterreichischezaubereidienstleistungen) the place where Austrian Aurors had their offices and their meetings. After the defeat of Grindelwald, the Austrian Aurors had gained autonomy and cut ties with the Ministry. The two institutions still collaborated, but OZD was away from any form of Ministry interference. So, when the Minister of Magic had to decide on matters of security and the defense of both the Muggle and Magical worlds, he would need the approval of the Head of OZD. Why they had demanded autonomy and how the institution was functioning were questions that would require a lot of time to be answered and we don't want to get tangled in irksome and bureaucratic details that won't help this story. What the reader needs to know is that the Ministry had always been more preoccupied with its political fights and too corrupted to move their fat asses when the world needed them. That, and the fact that the Aurors were sick of being used for the Ministry's political agenda.

What could be found beneath the first floor was one of the best guarded secrets of Nurmengard. Some said there were dragons and griffins as well as different types of magical beasts such as giant dogs with three heads, birds whose claws were stronger than steel, sphinxes, and mermaids. Though the only creatures that roamed around Nurmengard were a very playful Egyptian cat, a mischievous Labradoodle puppy, and a noisy Bowtruckle as well as the owls that had inherited the citadel's owlery from their ancestors and they had kept thriving since then. From time to time, Sturm, the cat, would pay a visit to the owls or would run after them when they attempted to deliver the daily letters. Yet, the birds had gotten used to the antics of their furry friend while the cat had vowed to always be as friendly as she could with her feathered companions.

This other part of the citadel was the opposite of everything that lay behind that door. It was dedicated to the Aurors's offices, the departments of International Cooperation, Internal Affairs and Interinstitutional Cooperation, the Department of Security and Law Enforcement, the Library, the training quarters, the Potion Lab, the Medical Centre, the financial quarters, the Department of Reparations and Internal accidents and, of course, the canteen.

Visitors were only allowed on the first floor. This floor was designed to host important meetings, lunches, dinners and to provide accommodation for the foreign officials. (The international conferences usually lasted for quite a few days and it wouldn't have been good for the visitors to travel from one country to another each time. Austrian officials could stay overnight as well if they wanted (though, they rarely wanted to).

That day, though, the place resembled more a kindergarten than an office. They had hardly arrived at the office and the place was already full of noise and energy.

"Would you stop acting like a child?" asked Frau Margaret. She was a kind-hearted woman and was always willing to help others, but she simply didn't like the noise and childish behavior of some of her colleagues. Fun wasn't something she could tolerate - at least not combined with work.

It was quite right as the two house-elves who were playing around the office were laughing and shouting so loudly that it was difficult to focus on the tasks.

"I'm sorry, Frau Margaret," said the tallest of the two, and he lowered his blue eyes as a sign of his remorse. He was a bit older than Ivy - his elf companion - and a bit chubby; he seemed so innocent when he played the guilty child.

Alfie was the house-elf of one of the former Aurors who had died in an accident, a year ago. It had been a difficult time for Alfie, and without the support of his colleagues, he would have most certainly succumbed to sorrow and desperation. Alfie still missed his former master, but he was happy to think that he would see him again one day. Now he was a free elf, but he had decided to stay at OZD. He helped the other elves in cleaning the place and feeding the prisoners. He was one of the few that participated in missions with the Aurors or went down to the village to gather information.

His crime partner was named Ivy, and she was the Head Auror's house-elf. Well, she was, in fact, a free elf, and more of a friend than anything else. She was small, yet always full of energy.

"We're very sorry, Frau Margaret", Ivy said, her green eyes shining with the innocent joy of a child. To make her remorse look more genuine, even if she was being more polite than remorseful, Ivy let her long ears droop and clasped her hands in front of her. She slowly shifted from foot to foot, her colorful dress billowing around her ankles.

Upon seeing her actions, Alfie needed to concentrate on not bursting into laughter.

"She's so cute." he thought. Even if he couldn't see himself, Alfie knew that his face must have been red. Being around Ivy had always made him nervous, and her cuteness made things even worse.

They'd always been like that. Well, not only they but the rest of their party companions weren't around at the moment: Amberrose and Edgar were on a top-secret mission in town; Andreas was most certainly sleeping as he was having a free day, and Bruhild must have been drinking her coffee while Allan was late as usual.

Things at the office had got even worse after they'd discovered the Muggle toy guns and began to play like little kids. Boys and girls, elves and she-elves, they all fought, hiding under their office desks while toy bullets flew everywhere. Each had their boxes of munitions at arms reach, just in case. It didn't matter if one wished to be out of it; if they weren't fast enough, they'd be shot (the only damages were to their big ego). Even Sturm and Struppi knew better than to go close to the battlefield.

It had lasted over a week. Every time there was a break, they would turn the music loud and resume their last battle. And the night shift was their favorite time for practicing.

But as the rest of the team wasn't around, the two elves left the office quietly. The fun hadn't ended, though. They would only look for a better place. Far away from Frau Maragaret's bad moods.

"Have a nice day, Frau Margaret!" Ivy wished her before leaving the room. She hated Frau Margaret's bad mood.

"Don't be sad!" Alfie tried to make her feel better. "She's a good woman. She's just...too stressed lately."

"I know. We all are. With everything happening in England. No one knows how long it's going to take until we're going to have an attack against our Muggles. There are still a lot of purists around here. Amberrose had worked so much lately. She must be tired and stressed, too, but she never complains."

"She's the coolest boss in the world," Alfie declared, trying to distract Ivy's attention from the subject. He was also afraid that the war would extend to the rest of Europe as it had happened during Grindelwald's campaigns. He'd only known about him from stories. He had been to his cell once or twice, and he'd brought food to the other prisoners, but behind the grills, they all seemed powerless and quite ordinary. All of them were already old, and with Amberrose around, he felt that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"She's so strong," Ivy muttered. "So brave. I wish I were as brave as her." There was silence for a moment. Alfie didn't know what to say. Nothing seemed quite appropriate.

"You're amazing the way you are. Everybody is afraid of something. Even Ambberrose is..."

"...but she finds strength in protecting others." Ivy continued. "She told me about Grindelwald. Do you think it's going to be as it was back then? Are people going to die? People we love?" She could hardly control her tears.

"Amberrose is going to keep us safe. I know she will." Alfie tried to encourage her. He was sure Amberrose would do her best. After all, she was quite amazing and very clever. "She would find a way to defeat him if she were to fight him. She'd fought Grindelwald, after all, hadn't she? And they had won. She and her friends….Well, Albus Dumbledore was indeed the one who had defeated him, but I'm sure our Amberrose had played a part, too. So, you don't have to worry. She knows what she's doing."

Ivy took her hands away from her eyes and watched him. She seemed mad at him.

"You don't understand," she cried, "I'm not afraid for me. I'm sure she will, but….that's the problem. I don't want her to get hurt while protecting us as she had done back then. You know, she...the burns on her body...she tried to distract Grindelwald and his followers to help her friends escape. It backfired...exploded...she….almost died. She could die, Alfie, and I…. I don't want to lose her. I'm too weak and useless." Ivy muttered through sobs. Her face was already wet and puffy.

"No, you're not. You may not be able to fight dragons and Death Eaters, but you are her friend, and that's what she needs the most. A friend. That makes you stronger than those Death Eaters. Stronger than HIM." His voice was fierce. "You'll be surprised how strong you are, Ivy."

Even if there were over 7 miles distance between Nuremgard and England the Death Eater were already infamous in Australia to be a frequent topic among Aurors.

She smiled for the first time and wiped away her tears. When she spoke, her voice was firm and strong.

"I don't think she needs a weepy elf. I'll be strong. Very strong. I'll fight HIM if I have to." Alfie smiled, too. He didn't doubt Ivy would do anything to keep her friends safe and sound. Right now though, he wished that time would never come.

"Let's find a better place to play, shall we?"

"And a cookie," continued Ivy…..


	2. I've already missed you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've missed you. Finally, I've managed to finish this second chapter. Thank you for being here!

The sun was almost up when Amberrose and Edgar ended their night patrol. The little city was still quiet, only a few children could be heard screaming and laughing inside the house while the mother was probably preparing the breakfast. The few houses were small but seemed cosy and cheerful. Here and there, Amberrose stopped to admire the spring flowers. Each garden was different as if they were competing with each other.

Soon, the tiny houses were replaced by a big alley full of little cafeterias, shops, restaurants and even a block or two, here and there. Those blocks were mainly inhabited by different Ministry officials who couldn't have found better accommodation. Most of them, especially unmarried ones, preferred to live there as they could get a chance of catching the glance of one of the young Aurors from OZD. It wasn't a secret anymore that this was one of the places the young women preferred to spend their time after finishing work.

Amberrose and Edgar were a very funny sight to see. He was like a mountain, tall and strong, while she seemed like a tiny doll compared to him. She was barely half his height and so, she was constantly forced to pick up the pace to keep up with him.

The Head Auror would have seemed cute if it hadn't been for the dark cloak that covered her entire body. Yet, even if her outfit hid every inch of her skin, causing her to resemble a miniature version of a Dementor - the reason why people had used to name her 'die kleine Dementorin' - the elegance of her posture combined with the creativity of the design offered her a queenish look. Even those who secretly named her die kleine Dementorin could hardly portray her as being ugly or scary. In fact, despite the numerous rumours regarding her accident, they all expected to find a very beautiful woman behind all those layers of fabric.

"You have an admirer." Edgar laughed as they passed by the window of one of the Ministry officials' apartment and he caught the glance of the lone bachelor directed at his little companion. The man pulled the curtains as he'd noticed he'd been seen, but it was a bit too late.

"Only one? Disappointing," she joked. "He will back down as soon as he meets me," Amberrose added. The fact didn't seem to bother her much. It had been long since she had paid any attention to what men thought about her. Much as she'd tried to lie to herself that looks weren't everything, she'd learned the hard way that men would back down as soon as she takes the veil down.

"You know," he continued, "men find you quite attractive."

"If you ask me, I'll say men are very strange creatures," she spoke as if she had analysed the utility of a certain element in an academic essay. "With all my body language courses and my Legilimency powers, I couldn't decipher how exactly their brains function sometimes." This topic wasn't exactly the thing she'd expected to debate now even if she'd read the same thing on their faces numerous times. "I won't add the fact that I'm not young anymore. Not even for wizard's standards."

"Your posture, your voice, your energy, your every action. It's hard to picture anything but a very attractive woman behind your cloak. And they aren't wrong. I bet that during your school years, you had every boy wrapped around your little finger."

"They treated me more like a jewel than a human being. I'd be a liar if I say I didn't enjoy the attention. I was so confident that I'd thought I could make one of the boys give up his plots and dark ambitions for me. Deep down, I hoped people saw more than a nice face. I hoped he considered me someone special. In the end, it seemed I was just a trophy for him. He only wanted me as he'd always wanted the things other people desired. Now, he is the darkest wizard of our times. So, my beauty didn't serve me much, and neither did my intelligence. The only comfort I have is that there is something he desired and he had never had." It was regret in her voice and maybe a little disappointment.

"You and …" He didn't dare pronounce the name, but he didn't want to go for that stupid name people used when referring to him.

"Tom Riddle." The name came naturally to her. For anyone who wouldn't have known who that Riddle was, the name could have easily been mistaken as an ordinary one.

"Were you together?" Edgar uttered too loudly that some curious wizards, who happened to be on the street, turned their heads towards them. The news shocked him, and Edgar was as elegant in showing it as his own style was. Edgar was the opposite of elegance, messy hair and loose clothes, topped by his savage appearance. Yet, he had a big heart and Amberrose found no offense in his lack of tact.

"No, we were colleagues." She paused as she seemed to think thoroughly. "I've never thought of it like that," she continued after a while. "Yet, it was a time I hoped we were friends. We were both intelligent, ambitious and charming. The same year. The same house. I guess that's why he looked for my company. He saw potential in me and wanted me to join his cause. However, we were so different. He was calculated, while I was reckless."

"Wait a moment. You? Reckless? The calculated Amberrose Eissee reckless?" he exclaimed loudly as he couldn't control his surprise.

Amberrose was famous for her cold blood during critical situations and her calculated moves acting like a veritable chess champion daily. Everything she would say or do was carefully analyzed and planned before.

"I've grown wiser, eventually. But, yes, I was very reckless at times. I hated the professors' favoritisms as well as my colleagues' biases. It didn't help that I could read their thoughts. I usually ended up cursing one of them or provoking the professors in front of the class. Or I would have been caught reading other books during the classes."

"I can't imagine how you would handle Allan were he to find you weren't paying attention to classes." Edgar laughed. Allan had been given her a hard time lately as it was difficult to convince him to study more.

Allan had been a teenager Amberrose had found on London's streets 17 years ago, who'd grown into a wonderful wizard under the attention of the Head Auror and his new friends. He had been 16 years at the time and couldn't display the simplest form of magic. Now, he was not only part of the Aurors, but he was one of the best.

"It bored me. By the time I would have gotten to Hogwarts, I had already studied all the spells and potions from the schoolbooks and tested them in the first weeks. I wanted to find new things. Read new books," Amberrose continued in a more energetic tone.

"That hasn't changed much, and neither has your tendency of telling people what you think. I won't be surprised if HE felt intimidated by you as well." It was hard to imagine someone like Voldemort being intimidated, but Amberrose wasn't just an ordinary witch. She was resourceful, clever and one of the strongest witches he'd met. He wouldn't have been surprised if a younger Voldemort would have felt intimidated around her.

"She must have seemed more intimidating as she could have used her eyes to pierce your soul," he thought. "She had lovely eyes." He remembered a photo he'd seen in her room. "Unique. Amber-like eyes."

"He was too full of himself. I wasn't capable to," she answered confidently, but then she added, "I don't think so. He never seemed to. Do you think I'm intimidating?"

"I guess that's why no one dares to ask you out. You intimidate them."

"I intimidate them? Really!" She laughed. It was so hard to associate this voice with her gloomy outfit. Her voice was light, cheerful. It was so full of life and energy. He had another one, though. A serious tone. The official, cold tone that was able to impose respect after the first sentences. Yet she hardly used that tone with them. They were more than her underlings. More than simple colleagues. They were friends.

"You are quite famous among the Austrian Wizard Ministry as a very strong-willed and confident woman," he spoke with such pride as he felt he was so lucky to be around her. "You funded OZD from scratch and transformed the castle into one of the best institutions in Austria and maybe in Europe. Few had dared to confront you during the time, and none had managed to win against you. Another thing that made you famous, apart from your great deeds and your duelist skills, was your sharp tongue. You are too intelligent and confident for their liking."

"Then they are a bunch of cowards." She dispatched the topic as if it wouldn't have been worth her time. "Let's get some sweets for our brave mischievous friends and leave the topic of my attractiveness for the respectable noble of Austrian families. I hope Ivy and Alfie hadn't blown the place down. I really miss my pillows."

"After all this time, you still hope to sleep?" He knew her well enough to be aware that there were few chances she would find time for relaxation.

"They've opened. Go and buy some sweets." She pointed towards a Muggle bakery. He took a double glance at the surroundings but said nothing.

 _"Good that she pays attention to the surroundings,"_ he thought, _"I haven't noticed we've got in the Muggle area of the town."_

Ivy and Alfie stood at the table in the cafeteria near the huge windows. It was their favorite spot. The place wasn't big, but it was cozy and cheerful. Tiny, wooden tables and chairs and many, many flowers all over the room, making it look like it were in the middle of a rainforest. And of course, tasty cookies and fruit tarts. The sight from the top of the castle was breathtaking and the two elves enjoyed watching the mountains and talking or working on their projects there.

The part of the castle was quiet at that hour, and the two elves were completely alone. Ivy had a big strawberry cake in front of her and she ate it delicately while Alfie read his new project aloud.

"I think you should have added some recommendations, as well. Amberrose asked for a description of the properties of fresh sage and some examples of potions where sage is the main component as well as some direction on new ways of using it," Ivy reminded him. She had already finished her essay and so she could relax for a while."You shouldn't have left the essay to the last minute, Alfie. If you asked..."

"What am I supposed to say? Can I copy it from you?" he begged. He knew it was useless, but he didn't want to give up without a fight.

"No" she threw at him. "You won't, and I don't care what you do." She didn't mean the last part, but he was so annoying...

"Can it be used to release pain? Such as a painkiller or I don't know...maybe sleep drops?" He tried again, this time using his mind.

"I guess so," Ivy muttered and went back to her cake. "But I think it is already used on these types of potions... Allan, " she cried cheerfully as she noticed the tall and skinny figure of Allan entering the cafeteria. "Maybe he has an idea, " Ivy continued before having another bite of her cake.

"Tell me three ways of using sage in a potion which hadn't been discovered until now!" Alfie said instead of any greeting, his essay in his hand.

"Amberrose is giving you a hard time, isn't she?" Allan joked. "Haven't you tried to copy from Ivy?"

"She won't give me her essay, and Amberrose wants it today. She wants to teach us some useful herbs. I guess she wants to discover new potions to heal wounds and release pain. However, she kind of overestimates my imagination. I hope she doesn't intend to make us brew the potions as well." He made a face that displayed how much he detested the idea.

"She needs to supply her potion provisions and she probably needs some help. That's why she is teaching us Potions later," Ivy explained.

"She could have done the potions herself instead of wasting her time with me." Alfie didn't seem to agree with Amberrose's plan. Much as he liked her, sometimes he wished she was less bossy.

"Yes, but that way, we won't be able to brew potions while she's gone," Ivy went on.

"Is she going somewhere?" Alfie and Allan asked at once.

"Grindelwald told me that Albus Dumbledore was here. Is she going to help him fight You-Know-Who?" Allan continued.

"Dumbledore was here?" Alfie asked before Allan could give further details.

"What were you doing around Grindelwald?" Ivy cried at the same time.

"Hey. Let me breathe, buddies." Allan tried to stop the flood of questions."That was what I was intending to ask you, Alfie. I don't know if he was here and why. And, yes, Ivy, I went around Grindelwald. Amberrose demanded I change the password, and so I had to spend some time with him."

"I bet she didn't ask you to chat with Grindelwald, did she? And keep your voice down, Alfie. I don't think that the entire Wizgamond needs to know that Albus Dumbledore was here. It's something between him and Amberrose. I don't know if she is going to get involved in the war, Allan, but she has said something about a short trip to England. She wants to be sure we can handle it in case her journey takes longer. And, Allan, I hope your Occlumency skills have improved because your going to Grindelwald was very irresponsible and stupid. What if he were to find something important and….we got into trouble? Amberrose won't like it. Not at all."

She hardly finished her rushed speech when something jumped directly on Allan's lap. The first thing he realized, after he'd got over the scare, was that it was heavy, warm and poofy. Then, he figured out it was alive and had claws. Very sharp ones and they went directly into his flesh.

"Amberrose," Ivy laughed as she noticed the black cat that purred mischievously in Allan's lap. Two yellow eyes were watching deep into his very soul, and Allan felt like a naughty child caught red-handed.

"How was your day?" He tried to change the topic, but he found that his heart pounded faster than normal.

"I've done nothing wrong," he tried to convince himself, but his body said another story. Suddenly, his blonde, middle-length hair seemed to bother him and he tried to push it away from his face. "Why am I so nervous? Because you know she won't be happy when she finds out about your chat with Grindelwald," he admitted in the end.

"I hope your Occlumency skills have improved," Ivy whispered in his ear as she came to play with the cat. Amberrose lifted her head and shared a conspiratorial glance with her. Then she stood on all fours before jumping gracefully down on the floor only to turn back to her human form.

"Don't be so grumpy!" Edgar joked as he entered with the sweets. Suddenly, all the eyes were on him.

"How, in Merlin's beard, can you see that I'm grumpy?" she retorted. Her face was completely covered by the veil so it was, technically, impossible unless he could see through the veil. She hoped he couldn't, because the idea he could see through her clothes as well didn't make her very comfortable. However, she doubted he might have tried again if he'd ever been able to.

"Are you?" Allan asked timidly. "I didn't mean...I've just…" he bubbled.

"What exactly didn't you mean? To go to Grindelwald or to be discovered?" This was one of the times when she adopted her cold voice. No one liked it—least of all, Allan.

"What information could I have provided to Grindelwald to cause a security breach?" he asked, wishing Amberrose would save the day as usual.

"As long as he hadn't set him free...You haven't set him free, have you?" Amberrose kept a serious tone, but she was joking. "I'm not worried about what you told him, but what he told you. We have enough on our plate now, Allan, and having Grindelwald free is the last thing we need. He might be old, but he wasn't called "Silver Tongue" for nothing. Yet, you're right. I should give you more credit. I know you are capable enough to deal with him. I've known that for a very long time. Don't look at me with that face," she added as she noticed his surprise. "Yes, I wouldn't have let you there if I hadn't made sure it was safe. Don't get me wrong. I trust you. I trust you all. Yet I'm human and can make errors. I couldn't trust my feelings with something so delicate as this. Though, I won't be here forever to fix your errors or to come with a plan B. There is a reason I kept teaching you Occlumency and I won't say I'm a bit disappointed you couldn't resist the temptation. And there is a reason why I want Alfie to learn Potions. I might have to leave for a while and I want to be sure you'd be alright."

"Are you going to England?" Edgar asked. He'd suspected for a while. "We want to come, too."

"Of course. We can help you fight that green git," Allan declared enthusiastically.

"I don't want OZD to get involved. I spoke with the Ministers and Maher considered that any institutional involvement may turn Austria into a target."

"If he wins the war, he's going to come to Austria anyway. What are the chances for him to limit to the island when he can have the world? So, why not stop him now?" Edgar added.

"OZD is independent. You have the power to decide. After all, you're one of the three," Allan continued.

"I can't decide on the name of the Austrian magic community. Maher Waltz as their Minister of Magic is the representative of their will, and I can't go over it. However, neither can I wait for Tom to become stronger before the Ministry decides that drastic measures are necessary. Anyway, someone has to keep OZD together. And I trust you'll do a wonderful job. Meanwhile, I want you to announce to your colleagues we had a party tonight. In my quarters. Free food and drinks. Nice music. Edgar, don't forget to take the camera. I want to add some photos to my collection," she said.

For a while, no word was spoken. A strange emptiness seemed to cover their souls. Their perfect world was starting to change and they had no idea how much.

"Come back soon." Allan was the first to find the words. "OZD needs you. We need you."

"See you tonight. It's going to be fun." She turned back into the cat and left the cafeteria. They wouldn't see her sad. She'd made her mind and there was no going back.

She took one last trip to her office before allowing herself to take a nap. So many things had crossed her mind during the last months, and the last days had been overwhelming. Yes, she needed honeyed melissa and basilic tea and a good night's sleep.

The place was a complete mess. Different books were lying on her desk and there was hardly any space on it. She mentally promised to clean around after she woke up. However, she managed to find the magic diary she'd spelt to communicate with Tommy, her little spy. Though, she hadn't expected to find a message.

 _'A possible attack against Muggles.'_ She read. _'24th May, at night. Grünedorf.'_

__

She took a pen and wrote back to him. _"Get me more details about the attacker/attackers. Anything you can find about the people, as well as their resources, is valuable. Please, pay attention to what other people think of the plan. Write to me as soon as possible. You can find me at Grünedorf. Ask about a black cat."_

__

Edgar was right. She would have to postpone her tea and her little nap for later.

__


	3. The gift of a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank Ash Juillet for helping me with the story and to thank you for being here for me. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Have a nice spring! If you have time, I will appreciate some words.
> 
> (You can find more of my stories on fanfiction. The same name)

Ivy had been the first house-elf from OZD. She and Amberrose had been together for 20 years, and during this time they'd become fond of each other. They had fun, studied together and even went everywhere together.

Ivy had been mistreated by her former owners, but for a long time, she hadn't had any idea that life could be any different for her. At the time, she had been grateful to have a house and food to eat, and she had never dared to dream for a better life. However, one day, Amberrose appeared in her life and from that moment, Ivy learned how it felt to be loved and cared for.

After so much time, she still remembered that day as if it were yesterday.

* * *

**May 1977, Graz, Austria**

_Exhausted by carrying the bags, Ivy's little feet hurt as she didn't have any shoes to protect her from the pebbles on the road._

_"What are you doing, you stupid creature?" Fräulein Karla shouted at her. Ivy hated to be scolded by her cruel mistress. "You can't do a thing right. All the noble families have hard-working house-elves, and only I've got a lazy creature like you," Fräulein Karla went on complaining._

_Ivy's green eyes filled with tears while she struggled to hold back a sob. Because of the tears, everything went blurry. She missed her mummy and her sisters. She hadn't seen them since she'd been sold to Fräulein Karla's family three years ago. There was no way she could control the tears any longer._

_"Don't make a sound," Fräulein Karla threatened her, "and don't you dare cry. You're ugly enough as you are."_

_Ivy couldn't see a thing. She tried to wipe her eyes with her hand, but, due to the weight of the bags, she lost balance and fell right over her mistress' shopping bags._

_"You stupid house-elf." Fräulein Karla's voice was full of malice. "You've ruined my beautiful dresses." She was on the verge of crying, as well. Her fury boiled inside her veins, and she started to hit the tiny house-elf repeatedly._

_Ivy tried to stand, but her feeble legs refused to help her. Her mistress didn't stop kicking her, and Ivy could only curl into a ball and wait for Fräulein Karla to calm down._

_At that moment, a cloaked figure appeared and caught Fräulein Karla's arms in her grip. It had happened so fast that Miss Karla did not even think about taking her wand out and fighting against the figure. Whoever the person was, they seemed skilled in body combat._

_"Help!" Fräulein Karla shouted and she kept fighting, trying to get away. She didn't bother to consider that she was a witch, and the figure could be a Muggle considering she hadn't used any wand or spell to fight Fräulein Karla. "Somebody, help me!" She cried again, "Take your ugly hands off of me! My father will hear about this, and you'll pay for it. Yes, you'll see what he will do." She went on as she noticed she couldn't move an inch._

_The figure laughed and threw Fräulein Karla to the ground._

_"I can't wait to see what your father will do to me," the figure said. It was the voice of a woman. She didn't seem afraid. In fact, she seemed quite confident and cold. "Here's my address," she added with a note of superiority in her voice as she threw a piece of paper. It flew in the air and fluttered down next to Miss Karla, who was now trembling with fear. "I'll wait for him. I hope he won't be late."_

_Then she sent a bag full of gold at Fräulein Karla's feet, took Ivy's little hand and disapparated with the elf._

* * *

**Half an hour later**

_The room the Head Auror took her to wasn't big, but it was Amberrose's universe. The walnut-wood shelves, which occupied most of the space, overflowed with different types of books: from Muggle novels to psychology, history, potion, defensive spell books, and even different manuals. In front of the books, from space to space stood framed pictures, probably old memories of her loved ones, created a comfortable environment for her._

_Too scared and tired to pay attention to the room, Ivy didn't notice anything. Amberrose put her gently on the bed - a big bed covered with colourful bed sheets. The bed sheets were nice and soft, but, although she wanted to sleep, she didn't dare to. She knew from her experience that no master would offer such a nice bed to an elf. The house-elves would wash and lay the bed sheets for their masters but never sleep there._

_"Are you hungry?" Amberrose asked kindly. The little elf watched her surprised. She thought she hadn't understood._

_"Mistress…" she muttered._

_Ivy hardly knew little more than to pronounce her name. Her masters had never bothered to teach her to speak. She'd learned what her masters wanted and very few of the words they used while demanding her to do something. She knew, though, when her masters were insulting her as it happened quite frequently. However, no one had ever asked her if she had been hungry. As a result, she supposed that her new mistress was demanding her to bring food. "Ivy bring food" she spoke mechanically after a while, and she stood up, confused. She hadn't the slightest idea where the kitchen was._

_Amberrose pushed her back, and the elf obeyed, too scared to move._

_"No, I bring food for Ivy." Amberrose told her as if speaking to a child. "Ivy stays in the bed." She used the elf's way of speaking, hoping to make it easier for her to understand._

_When Amberrose returned, she noticed that the elf was exactly where she'd left her. She sat next to Ivy and put the tray full of delicious food on the bed next to Ivy. The little elf's eyes shone with hunger._

_"For you. Yes," Amberrose spoke as she tried to avoid complicated words. She helped the elf to sit and slowly started to feed her while the elf watched her with big eyes. "Delicious?" she continued as she couldn't stand the awkward silence. "I'm not as good a cook as a house-elf, but it's healthy. After you finish, I'll help you have a bath and then you could sleep at least. I will be in the room, reading, if you'll need something."_

_The elf continued to eat while Amberrose kept ranting about her program and different staff about the castle and her colleagues. Ivy had long stopped following her, but the sound of her voice made her feel safe._

_"I hope you won't mind if I get my cloak and my gloves down," she added after she'd put the empty tray away. "Don't be afraid, please. I know my skin looks ugly, but I can't prepare your water dressed like that."_

_She could see that Ivy was afraid of her, and she had good reasons to be. With long dark clothes and her dark veil that covered her face, Amberrose seemed a nightmarish figure, and Ivy was just a child at the time. However, Amberrose hoped that she'd managed to gain her confidence enough to accept her. So, she removed her gloves and her veil gently, scared to show her face to someone else. No one had seen her without the veil since the day of the accident._

_As Ivy's eyes fell upon her face, she screamed and instantly hid beneath the colourful blanket, still crying and screaming. Little did she know that she wasn't the only one crying. Yet Amberrose didn't blame her. Ivy was a child after all._

_"I won't harm you. I promise, but please stop crying." Amberrose tried to calm her down. "I'll wait here on the couch until you're ready to face me. I've put the veil back, so..." She didn't know how much Ivy could understand from what she'd told her. Nor did she know how to calm her as her own presence frightened the little elf. "I want to be your friend."_

_While she'd been sick, Amberrose had always brought her delicious food and fed her, washed her, dressed her in colourful pajamas and told her stories before going to bed. And all those nights, Amberrose had slept on the couch so she would be there when Ivy needed her._

_Soon, the elf stopped being afraid of her and allowed Amberrose to get closer to her. With every day that passed, they got closer and closer._

_"I don't want to leave you," Ivy declared as Amberrose announced to her that she was a free elf. "I'll always stay by your side. You'll have to kick me out. But I'll come back." Ivy tried her best to seem strong. Deep down, she was afraid. She only wanted to cry._

_The way Ivy spoke had improved considerably due to Amberrose's care, so she was able to form coherent sentences in just a few weeks since her arrival, and in a few months, she had mastered complicated sentences._

_Ivy cared little now for the way Amberrose looked like. To Ivy, Amberrose's voice was the most beautiful in the world. It didn't matter that Amberrose's skin wasn't white and delicate, but puffy and pink due to the burns she'd suffered decades ago. Ivy found her even more admirable because of it. Because it hadn't been an accident. Amberrose had gotten burnt in order to save her friends._

_"No one is going to kick you out or anything like that. If you want to stay, you can stay," Amberrose promised._

_"Really?" Ivy cried for joy and she jumped up, wrapping her arms around Amberrose's neck, burying her tiny white face in her cloak._

_"But it doesn't mean you can't wear nice clothes, too. In fact, I'm honored that a free-elf would choose to serve me coffee in the morning," Amberrose added amused. "Do you want to try this dress?" Amberrose showed her a tiny polka-dotted dress the Head Auror had made from one of her old blouses. Ivy's eyes shone, but she couldn't speak a word. All she could do was nod several times before tears spilled down her cheeks and suddenly, for the first time, she genuinely smiled._

* * *

Ivy had never forgotten to bring food to Amber at her office or to help her prepare Potions. She had always been there when Amberrose had a nightmare - because even the strong Auror had her fears. She cuddled in her arms and let Amber hold her while she cried. She was Amberrose's confidant, her friend, her little sister, and she was always ready to help her no matter what.

Meanwhile, Ivy made a living by sewing and embroidering dresses which she had a talent for. Her only regret was that Amberrose wasn't able to wear any of the dresses because of her condition. Since that fight with Grindelwald's followers, she had to cover every inch of her skin behind layers of dark silk and veils.

The time she didn't spend with Amberrose or working, she used to study together with Alfie or play with him. Alfie, as well as her, had been a very good student. Amberrose had taught them both to read and write from the start. Well, she'd been the first. Alfie's latter master had got so impressed by her relationship with Amberrose that he'd decided to adopt an elf. It was the best decision he could have made as both elves got so fond of one another.

They had advanced to geography, history and even some knowledge of art and Potions. As Alfie's latter master had been an English man and Ivy had spent a lot of time in England during the First Wizard War, they could fairly well speak English and they usually turned to English when they didn't want to be understood by other Aurors.

Ivy started to redecorate the room for the party. She used to love parties, but this time she felt worried and hollow.

She would go with Amberrose to Britain. A part of her felt content with it. Another part, though…. Another part yearned after the beautiful moments she'd spent in OZD. She already missed her friends and she hadn't left yet…..

A soft sigh escaped her tiny lips, but Ivy didn't stop. She would do her best. She would fight, as well. In her own way. She would bring Amberrose back no matter what.


End file.
